


Love is Stronger

by teej_318



Series: Prompts for Camp NaNoWriMo April 2020 [7]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beverly Marsh is a Good Friend, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak Needs A Hug, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Richie Tozier, Hanahaki Disease, M/M, Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris Are Best Friends, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Teen losers club, young adult losers club
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:47:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23587108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teej_318/pseuds/teej_318
Summary: On his 14th birthday, Eddie discovers that he is love with someone when he catches the hanahaki disease. He knows the dangers of the disease and knows he'll have to make a decision about it soon.
Relationships: Bill Denbrough & Mike Hanlon & Ben Hanscom & Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak & Beverly Marsh, Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris
Series: Prompts for Camp NaNoWriMo April 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1650052
Comments: 8
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

Eddie startled when he heard the tapping on his window. He glanced up from the book he was reading and squinted toward the window. He snorted slightly to himself when he realized he didn't have to glance up to see who it was. Only one person ever tapped on Eddie's window and he always did it at night, late when he knew Eddie's mom had gone to bed. Eddie stood up and walked over to the window and opened it.

"Rich, what are you doing here?" he asked in a scolding tone, though he offered his hand out to Richie to help Richie into his room.

Richie took Eddie's hand but didn't say anything as Eddie helped him into the room. For some reason, Richie had a hand in his coat pocket, as if he were holding onto something inside of it that he didn't want Eddie to see. Once he was on his feet, Richie beamed at Eddie.

"It's almost midnight, Eds, you know what that means," Richie said.

Eddie frowned for a moment while he racked his brain. Suddenly, it came to him. 

"Oh shit, it's almost my birthday!" Eddie exclaimed.

"That's right, Eds, and we gotta celebrate!" Richie said happily as he pulled out a badly wrapped gift from his coat pocket. 

"Rich, you didn't have to get me anything," Eddie said, feeling touched by Richie's gesture.

"Now where would the fun be at that, Eddie Spaghetti?"

Richie plopped down on Eddie's bed. Eddie sat down next to him.

"Do you have to call me all of your nicknames for me tonight?" Eddie asked.

"I thought you liked them," Richie replied, pouting.

Eddie sighed, knowing he could never say no when Richie pulled that face. 

"Fine, you call me my nicknames, but only cause you're my best friend."

"Great, Eds!" Richie said, smiling once again. "So, are you gonna open your present?"

"Let's wait till it's actually my birthday," Eddie said, glancing at the clock on his nightstand. It said 11:58.

Richie protested slightly, but Eddie wouldn't let up. It wasn't until the clock hit 11:59 that Richie finally shut up and sat quietly with Eddie. The clock was programmed to beep when it was 10 seconds to the next hour and when it did, both Eddie and Richie started counting down. When they finally reached zero and the clock turned to midnight, Richie cheered quietly.

"Happy Birthday, Eddie!" he whisper shouted.

Eddie beamed at Richie, blushing slightly at Richie calling him by his name and not a nickname in order to wish him happy birthday.

"Thanks, Richie," Eddie replied in a quiet tone.

"Now, you gotta open your present, Eds!" Richie said excitedly. 

"Okay, okay," Eddie said quickly as he tore into the wrapping paper. The gift was small, so Eddie treated it with ease, not wanting to damage whatever was inside. Soon, he had pulled out the gift: it was a small charm attached to a necklace.

"Do you like it?" Richie asked, looking hopeful at Eddie.

"What is it?" Eddie asked, feeling confused.

"It's a good luck charm," Richie explained. "Look closer on the charm."

Eddie raised the charm to his eyes, squinting slightly. His name was engraved into it, along with his birthday. Tears started to form in his eyes when he realized Richie had gotten this personalized for him.

"I love it, Richie, thank you," Eddie said in a shaky voice.

Richie reached across and pulled Eddie into a hug. He held on tightly to Eddie as Eddie cried slightly into his shoulder, feeling overwhelmed by how much thought Richie had put into his gift. When they broke apart, Eddie shyly held out the necklace for Richie to put on him. Richie did so and he was extremely gentle with Eddie.

"It looks great," Richie said.

"I don't think I'll ever take it off. I need all the luck in the world."

"Hey, Eds, you're braver than you think. Never forget that." 

"Thanks, Rich," Eddie said before he yawned. "Um, do you think you can stay until I fall asleep?"

"Of course, Eds," Richie said.

Eddie smiled at Richie before he lay his head down on the bed. Richie curled up next to him, running his fingers through Eddie's head like he always did when Eddie was close to falling asleep. Eddie felt extremely warm as he drifted off to sleep. With Richie laying next to him and feeling Richie's fingers in his hair, he felt safer than anyone else could ever make him feel. When he was nearly completely asleep, Eddie could have sworn he felt Richie kiss him on the forehead and heard Richie wish him a happy birthday one more time, but he was quickly overtaken by sleep that he thought it might have been a dream. 

* * *

When Eddie woke up the next morning, his chest felt a little tight. It was almost like he was coming down with a cold, but Eddie didn't feel any other symptoms. He even reached up to his forehead and didn't think he had a fever, but decided to go to the bathroom to take his temperature just in case. It took a few moments, but the thermometer showed that Eddie's temperature was normal. Eddie frowned when he saw the results and that's when it happened.

Eddie was overcome with a terrible cough. It was quite possibly the most violent cough he had ever endured. He had to grip the sink for support as he coughed. It felt like something was about to come up. Soon, Eddie took a deep breath and then let out one final cough and up something came. Eddie spit into the sink and took a few breaths to recompose himself, wiping away the tears that had started to form in his eyes. 

When Eddie glanced down into the sink to see what had come out, he froze. Sitting in the sink, looking rather shriveled, was a single flower petal. Eddie slowly picked up the flower petal and glanced over it, not being bothered by the coat of saliva that was on it. Suddenly, Eddie dropped the flower petal as if it had shocked him.

"Oh shit," he said. 

Eddie quickly rinsed out his mouth and didn't bother with mouthwash, not wanting to disturb his throat when he gargled. He quickly returned to his room, surprised that his mother hadn't come to investigate his coughing. Maybe she was still asleep. 

"Shit, shit, shit," Eddie whispered as he paced around his room, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. He had heard of the hanahaki disease, but he never thought he would fall victim to it. He had never felt attraction of any kind to anyone, so he thought he was in the clear. 

_ But what had changed _ , Eddie wondered. He racked his brain, trying to think of who he was in love with and what caused the disease to develop literally overnight. Suddenly, the thought came to him.

"Richie," he whispered before he shut his eyes and collapsed onto his bed, crying slightly to himself. 

* * *

Eddie wasn't sure how he had been able to leave his house for his birthday party with his friends so early. Normally, Sonia would have insisted that Eddie stay at home until the last possible minute, and would've tried talking him into not going. But, Sonia had easily let him go. Eddie attributed it to him being much more quiet than normal that whole day, and maybe his mother thought he would snap out of it if she allowed him to go.

All day long he had been dreading meeting up with his friends. He had weighed the options of telling them about the disease, and he knew he would have to do it sooner or later, but he didn't want his birthday to be overshadowed by it. Instead, he had resolved to talk with Bev about it. She was the best at keeping secrets amongst the Losers, and this was definitely something that needed to be kept a secret until Eddie decided otherwise. 

The Party was taking place at Bill's house, since it was the biggest house of the Losers. Eddie had called Bev beforehand and asked if he could meet up at her place and talk with her for a bit before they went to the party together. Bev had agreed easily, which made Eddie feel relieved. He didn't want to have to explain everything over the phone.

Eddie soon reached Bev's aunt's house and he was let in immediately. Bev's aunt showed Eddie to Bev's room. Eddie knocked on the door and walked in after Bev said he could. Bev was in the middle of doing her hair in preparation for the party.

"Hey Eddie, happy birthday!" Bev said, gesturing for Eddie to come into the room properly and sit down on her bed.

"Thanks," Eddie said, distracted, as he sat down on the bed. 

Bev finished with her hair before she turned around to face Eddie, beaming at him.

"So, you ready for the big night?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess."

Bev frowned.

"Eddie? Everything okay? You seem a little...off,"

Eddie sighed deeply before he looked up at Bev, who was looking earnestly at him.

"I have something to tell you and you've gotta promise you're not gonna tell anyone, at least not yet."

Bev stood up from her makeup chair and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to Eddie, looking concerned.

"Of course, Eddie, you know I can keep a secret," she said. "What's going on?"

"I, uh...I have the hanahaki disease," Eddie said, turning away from Bev's gaze to try and stop himself from bursting into tears.

"Are you sure?" 

Eddie nodded.

"I coughed up a petal this morning right when I woke up. It was the worst cough I've ever had, Bev. I thought I was dying, but then I coughed up the petal and I knew."

Eddie started to cry and Bev wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a hug. Eddie cried into Bev's embrace for a few moments while she patted his head and whispered words of comfort into his ear. Soon, Eddie had calmed down and lifted himself from Bev's embrace. 

Bev hesitated before she spoke again.

"Do you...I mean, do you think you know who it is?"

Eddie sighed, nodding, as he shut his eyes again, trying to stop more tears from falling.

"Do you wanna tell me? You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I'm pretty sure it's Richie," Eddie said, flinching slightly as if he expected Bev to lash out at him. When he saw that Bev was just looking at him, Eddie hurried on. "He came over last night to give me my birthday present and to celebrate when midnight hit. After he gave me my present, he laid down with me and he was rubbing his hands through my head like he always does. And...I think he might have kissed me on the forehead before he left. I can't be sure, though, cause I was mostly asleep. But, he's the only person I can imagine me having feelings for."

Eddie started to cry again and Bev pulled him in for another hug.

"Listen to me, Eddie, there's nothing wrong with you for feeling that way about Richie," she said in a soft voice. "Believe me, I've seen the way you look at him, like he hung all the stars in the universe. It makes a little sense that you would fall for him."

"It does?" Eddie asked, lifting his head from Bev's embrace.

Bev nodded warmly at him.

"It's always been obvious that you two are closer to each other than everyone else," Bev explained. "It makes perfect sense for at least one of you to develop feelings for the other. And I think that's wonderful, Eddie."

"What am I gonna do, Bev?" Eddie asked.

"What do you mean?" Bev asked, frowning.

"I can't exactly tell Richie about this! Even if he and I do care about each other, I don't think he really wants a relationship with me. And what if it changes everything? I can't do that to our friendship!"

"Hey, hey," Bev said consolingly, gripping Eddie's hand firmly, but gently at the same time. "I can't tell you what to do, Eddie. That's not my decision to make; it's yours. And I know your Mom isn't exactly the best person to ask advice from, but I want you to know that no matter what, you'll have my full support. And you'll have the support of all the Losers. Do you think you'll tell them?"

Eddie nodded.

"Not tonight, though," he said. "I want tonight to be about my birthday and not about the disease. Okay?"

"Whatever you want, Eddie."

* * *

Eddie only had to wait a few days before he told the rest of the Losers what was happening. He had been lucky that his birthday hadn't been compromised by hanahaki, but that was probably because his mind was so focused on all of his friends and not just Richie that he was allowed to enjoy the night as he normally would. 

But, in the days after his birthday, when he had time to think about everything, he would burst into coughing fits. During one of his more violent coughing fits, his mother had checked in on him, and Eddie confessed that he thought he had the disease. To his relief, his mother hadn't freaked out, but she had insisted on Eddie having the surgery that would not only remove the flowers from his chest, but would also eliminate the feelings of love.

Privately, Eddie agreed with his mother, but he wouldn't tell her why. To Eddie, the surgery was the safest option. Not only could he risk Richie not returning his feelings and Eddie succumbing to the disease, but by having the surgery, Eddie would guarantee that he would have Richie in his life. Even as a friend, that was more than enough for Eddie. 

The day after he had told his mother about the disease, Eddie had texted the Losers' group chat and had set up a meeting with them at the clubhouse. Once it was set up, he had called Bev and told them that he planned to tell them about the disease.

"Are you gonna tell Richie?" Bev asked.

"I don't think I can, Bev," Eddie replied. "I'm gonna have the surgery, and there's no point in telling him if my feelings of love are gonna be removed. Besides, by having the surgery, I can guarantee that he stays in my life, even if it's just as a friend. And that's more important to me than having my feelings returned."

Even though he couldn't see her, Eddie could picture Bev nodding while looking a little disappointed.

"Then I support your choice, Eddie, one hundred percent. Even though it's probably not what I would have done, I support you."

Eddie sighed, rolling his eyes slightly.

"What would you have done?"

"I'd have taken a chance if it were me," Bev replied. "I know that you and Richie care about each other a lot, and I don't think things would be weird between you guys if you told him, but like I said, Eddie, that's not for me to decide. You've made your choice and I respect it, no matter what. I promise."

"Thanks, Bev. I'll see you tomorrow." 

* * *

Eddie was nervously fidgeting as the other Losers gathered in the clubhouse. He had coughed up a few more petals that morning, but luckily his mother hadn't heard, otherwise she'd have probably dragged Eddie to the hospital right then and there, before Eddie had a chance to tell the Losers.

Once everyone was in their respective seats, Bev nodded encouragingly at Eddie as he stood up and walked into the center of the room. 

"Um, hey, guys," Eddie said nervously. "I, uh...have something really important I gotta tell you guys."

"What's up, Eds?" Richie said cheerfully, beaming at Eddie as he always did.

Eddie felt his throat twitch slightly and he was worried that he was going to cough up some more flower petals. He briefly centered himself and looked at Bev for encouragement before he cleared his throat and spoke.

"I have the hanahaki disease," Eddie said.

The Losers' reactions were predictable. Bev looked neutral since she already knew, but the rest of the Losers were in various states of shock.

"What?" Richie demanded.

"How long?" asked Stan.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked gently.

"Wha-wha-what are you g-g-gonna do?" asked Bill.

"Who do you have a crush on?" asked Mike.

Eddie held up his hands to get the rest of the Losers to stop talking. Everyone quickly shut their mouths and all of them looked at Eddie expectantly.

"So, it's been going on for about a week or so," Eddie said. "I wasn't sure at first, but now I am since I've been having coughing fits every day and I've hacked up several petals."

"Are you okay, Eddie?" Ben asked again.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's just painful when I do cough up these flower petals. But I already know what I'm gonna do."

"Ask her out?" asked Richie.

"Surgery," said Mike.

"Wait and s-s-see?" asked Bill.

"You're right, Mike," Eddie said, nodding at him. "I'm gonna have the surgery to remove the flowers and the feelings of love I have."

"But, Eds, who do you have a crush on?"

_ You, _ Eddie wanted to say, but he wasn't about to let Richie know that. Instead, he swallowed down that answer and proceeded with the safe one. 

"I really don't know who I have feelings for," Eddie said. "That's why I'm gonna have the surgery, so I don't spend weeks trying to figure it out and get worse as time goes on. They say the longer you have it, the more likely you are to die, so having the surgery is the safest option."

"When are you gonna have it done?" asked Stan.

"And can we be there?" asked Richie.

Eddie was touched by Richie wanting to be there for him for the surgery. Although a small part of him still wanted to confess his feelings, his mind told him not to, since he had already decided on the surgery.

"Of course you guys can come," Eddie said, smiling at Richie briefly before looking around at the rest of his friends. "I want you guys to be there with me when I have my surgery. I don't just want my Mom to be there. And I'm gonna go in on Friday, this way we get it done as soon as possible before I get any sicker."

"Well, I think this merits a good ole Losers Club group hug!" Richie announced in his worst (best) British voice.

All of the Losers stood up and embraced Eddie in a hug, with Richie being the closest to Eddie. Eddie was overwhelm with emotion and started to cry as his friends crowded around him and held him close.

* * *

Eddie grinned to himself when he heard the familiar sound of tapping at his bedroom window. He stood up from his bed and hurried over to let Richie into his room. But, Eddie frowned when he noticed Richie didn't appear to be his usual, bubbly self. Richie didn't say anything when Eddie helped him into the room and he immediately sat down on the bed, his face devoid of any of the usual humor.

"Everything okay, Rich?" Eddie asked as he sat down on the bed with Richie.

"I'm just worried about you, Eddie," Richie said in quiet voice.

Eddie was taken aback, both by Richie's statement and the tone of voice he said it in. Richie was rarely so open with his feelings and he was never this quiet unless the topic was serious.

"I'm gonna be okay, Richie," Eddie said.

"I know, but I just can't help thinking, what if you're missing out on the best thing of your life, Eddie?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're choosing to miss out on love, Eds. Isn't that something you've always wanted to experience? Love with someone?"

"I mean, I guess so, Richie, but would you rather me wait a few weeks and then get worse and maybe even die?"

Eddie hadn't meant to say it like that and he felt his heart drop as Richie's face whitened. He looked more scared than Eddie had ever seen him before. 

"God, of course I don't want you to die, Eddie. Why did I say that?"

"Hey, hey," Eddie said, reaching across and grabbing one of Richie's hands with his own and holding on to it. "I know this is a lot and you haven't had a lot of time to process it like I have. But I've thought about every possibility, Richie, and this is the best choice to make for me. It makes sure that I stay healthy and that I get to annoy you for as long as I want to."

Richie chuckled slightly. He squeezed Eddie's hand to let him know that he understood, but Eddie didn't let go of his hand. Richie didn't seem to mind at all.

"Everything will be okay, Richie, I promise," Eddie said.

"I promise you, too, Eds," Richie whispered before he pulled Eddie into a hug. 


	2. Bombshell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven years after having successful surgery to remove the hanahaki disease, Eddie is in college with the rest of the Losers when he receives some bombshell news.

Seven years later...

Eddie joined the rest of his friends, except for Richie, who was taking a biology midterm test. The Losers had gathered in their usual meeting spot in the student center for a quick bite before their next exams. Eddie, however, had just taken his last midterm and would spend the next day cleaning up his and Richie's dorm room to prepare it for Maggie and Wentworth's visit to their college.

It was a small miracle all of the Losers had ended up at the same college. They had all won scholarships and other financial aid awards that helped them pay for their tuition, books and rooming on the campus. They all lived in the same housing unit, with their rooms being adjacent to each other so they could quickly go hang out at any of their homes when they were free. As an extra perk of attending the same college, that meant that return trips home were usually planned out as a group. However, for spring break, which was going to start the next day, all of their parents were coming out to visit them at college and see the campus and the new town where the Losers lived. 

Privately, Eddie was a little relieved that he wouldn't have to convince his mother that his life in college was exactly what he needed it to be. Sonia had passed three years earlier, during Eddie's junior year of high school and he had moved in with Richie's family, who had agreed to take him in as a second son. Eddie was excited to see Wentworth and Maggie and wanted the dorm room to look as pristine as possible. He was planning on starting to clean after lunch and then spend the next day deep cleaning it while Richie had his shift at the campus radio station.

"Hey guys," Eddie greeted the rest of the Losers as he sat down to join them for lunch. He was happy to see the rest of the Losers had already ordered Eddie's food for him and he started to devour it.

"How does freedom feel?" Bev asked, not looking up from her book she was scanning for any last minute notes.

"Well it only just started, but I'll let you know tonight how it feels when you and Ben join me for freedom," Eddie replied.

"You guys suck," said Stan, who was hurriedly cramming his own food into his mouth. "Why do the rest of us have to suffer with one more night of non-stop studying?"

"Because you guys all chose to have classes on Fridays, like some amateurs," Bev said coolly.

"She's got uh-uh-us there," Bill said. His stutter had improved greatly over the years, though it occasional made a reappearance when he wasn't actively working on it, such as when he was studying.

"Just think, guys, this time tomorrow we'll be done with classes for a week and we'll be able to breathe for a while," said Mike, always the optimist. "And besides, our families will all be here on Saturday, and we'll have the whole week with them." 

"I'm just glad I only have one more final and it's first thing in the morning, so I'll be able to take a nap afterward," said Ben.

Eddie laughed with the rest of his friends when he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw an incoming call from Maggie. He answered the call and the others continued their conversation, stopping when they heard Eddie almost shout, "What?" in a shocked voice. They dropped their conversation and turned to look at Eddie. 

"Oh my god, that's horrible, Maggie," Eddie said, suddenly looking sad. The others looked at him, confused, and Eddie just shook his head as he remained focused on the phone call. "How did it happen?" 

"Eddie, what's going on?" Bev asked, but Eddie shook his head again.

"Oh, that's just awful news, Maggie. What can I do? Just tell me what I can do." Eddie asked. There was a brief moment as Maggie responded. "Well, yeah, you go ahead and call all of them. And I'll let Richie know. He'll call you as soon as he can. Okay. Bye, Maggie."

Eddie hung up the phone and sighed heavily.

"Eddie, what happened?" Ben asked.

Eddie looked up at the rest of the Losers.

"Richie's Dad died."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry to hear that," Mike said, gasping. 

"Me too," said Bill. "What ha-happened? Was Went sick?"

"No, it was a heart attack. Sudden."

"That's awful, poor Richie," Bev said, sounding close to tears. 

"I'm gonna have to get things ready for Richie to get out to Derry and then I'm gonna head out, too," Eddie said. 

"Of course," said Ben, nodding.

"I'll see you guys later," Eddie said, taking one last bite of his food before picking up his backpack and walking away from his friends and back to his and Richie's dorm room. 

* * *

Eddie was just finishing up booking a flight for Richie when he heard the door being unlocked.

"Yeah, put him on that 6:30 flight to Portland," Eddie said to the ticketing agent. "And just charge that to my credit card." 

Richie walked through the door and headed toward the living room when he saw Eddie on the couch.

"Great, thank you," Eddie said, hanging up his phone and sitting it down on the coffee table.

"Hey, Eddie Spaghetti!" Richie said in his usual bubbly voice.

"Hi," Eddie said rather reserved.

"How was you final?"

"It was all right, think I did pretty well." 

"Well that's good, Eds. I'm just glad that now I'm home free and then I'll be able to hang out with you, Mom and Dad for a whole week without having to worry about class or surprise quizzes."

"Your Mom called a little while ago," Eddie said, still not quite able to look Richie in the eyes, knowing he was about to deliver a blow to Richie's mood. 

"Oh boy," Richie said, grinning. "Let me guess: they wanna come tomorrow night, which means we're gonna have to work overtime to get this place presentable."

Finally, Eddie looked up at Richie. It hurt his heart that he was going to be the one to deliver the news to Richie, who looked so happy and relieved to be done with school for a week. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

"Richie..."

Richie frowned.

"What, is something wrong?"

Eddie stood up from the couch.

"It's about your Dad, Richie."

"My Dad what?"

"H-he he had a heart attack this morning. He didn't make it, Richie."

Richie's face did a total 180. His mouth opened in shock and he looked like he didn't believe a word of what Eddie was saying.

"Oh my god," he whispered, gasping. "Oh my god."

"He fell asleep in his recliner in his den and he never woke up. He didn't suffer at all, Richie." 

"A heart attack," Richie said, not quite registering all of what Eddie was telling him. "I can't believe this. I just talked to him last night and he sounded fine."

"I know," Eddie said, desperate for that expression on Richie's face to disappear.

"What about M-m-Mom?" Richie said, his voice starting to break. "I should call..."

Richie dissolved into tears as Eddie hurried forward and pulled Richie into a hug.

"She's holding up real well, she's holding up real well," Eddie said as he wrapped his arms around Richie.

Richie sobbed into Eddie's embrace. Eddie felt a lump in his throat and he knew just heartbroken Richie felt. Eddie himself even felt heartbroken at losing Went, who was the only father Eddie had ever known. 

"I booked you on a flight first thing in the morning," Eddie said, trying to sound comforting amidst his own grief. Richie nodded, but didn't say anything. "And as soon as I tie up all the loose ends here, I'll get a flight and fly out tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay, okay," Richie said, the tears still flowing down his cheeks.

"It's gonna be okay, Richie. I promise."

* * *

Once he was sure Richie had fallen asleep, Eddie retreated to his own bedroom. He hadn't felt so exhausted in a long time, despite not exerting himself physically that day. Being a shoulder to cry on for Richie while crying himself had emotionally drained Eddie. He was ready to just plop on his own bed and fall asleep instantly before he had to drive Richie to the airport in the morning.

Bev, however, seemed to have other plans for Eddie. Just as Eddie finished changing into more comfortable clothes, his phone was ringing with an incoming call from Bev.

"Hey Bevvy," Eddie said when he pressed the answer button his phone.

"Hi Eddie, how's he doing?" Bev asked.

"He finally calmed down enough to fall asleep," Eddie said, taking care to make sure his voice wasn't too loud. "He's been crying pretty much ever since I told him this afternoon."

"Well, he's lucky to have you to lean on, Eddie."

"Yeah I guess he is," Eddie said dismissively. "So what's up with the rest of the Losers?"

"Well, we're changing out spring break plans."

"What do you mean?" Eddie asked, frowning.

"We're all gonna come out to Derry once everyone's done with their finals," Bev replied. "We're gonna pile in Bill's car and mine and drive out on Saturday morning to come and be with you guys."

"Bev, you guys don't have to rearrange your whole spring break," Eddie started, but Bev cut him off.

"Eddie, come on," Bev said impatiently. "We're all Richie's friends and we're all gonna be there for him and you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. I know how close you were with Richie's Dad. You said yourself he was the closest thing to a father you've ever known since your dad died so young. So we're gonna be there to support you guys."

"What about all of your parents?"

"They support our decision and they all understand why we're doing it. We're still gonna be able to see all of our families and spend time with them. We're just doing it in Derry instead of here." 

Eddie paused for a moment as he digested all of his information. Of course he should have expected the Losers would opt to do this instead of going on as scheduled. They were all ride and die with each other and were always there for one another. When Sonia had died, all of the Losers had immediately gathered at Richie's house to comfort Eddie. It only made sense that they would do the same for Richie.

"That's amazing, Bev, thank you," Eddie said.

"You don't have to thank me, Eddie, or the rest of the Losers. We're always gonna be here for you guys. Now you get some sleep so you can get your man to the airport in the morning."

Eddie sighed and giggled.

"Richie is not my man," Eddie said in an exasperated voice. "Besides, that ship has long since sailed."

"Yeah, I know, Eddie," Bev said in a resigned tone. "I'll see you on Saturday, okay?"

"Yeah, see you then, Bev."

Eddie hung up his phone and set it down on his nightstand. He crawled into bed, but he suddenly found himself unable to fall asleep. Bev's comment about Richie being his man was crawling through his mind. Though it was true that Eddie had once harbored romantic feelings for Richie, those feelings were long gone. The surgery to removed the hanahaki disease had been successful and Eddie had never felt as sick as he had then. 

Until...

Suddenly, Eddie's chest heaved. He sat up, gasping for air as he clutched his chest. He knew this feeling of pain. It was the same kind of pain he felt right before he hacked up a flower petal when he had the disease seven years earlier. Eddie coughed violently until he finally spit out a single flower petal. He took several breaths to calm himself down and reached over to pick up the petal.

"Son of a bitch," Eddie muttered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the surgery may not have been as successful as Eddie thought! Because, as it turns out, love is strong, hence the title of the fic.
> 
> Stay tuned for more soon!


	3. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie returns to his hometown of Derry for Wentworth's funeral and to support Richie. However, the hanahaki disease he's contracted, again, is much stronger than the last time.

Eddie sighed as he slid the spare key of Maggie and Went's home into the front door. He had flown out to Derry as quickly as he could, and Georgie had picked Eddie up from the airport and dropped him off, telling Eddie he would see him later after Georgie had dinner with his family. 

The flight had been an unpleasant one. Eddie had been coughing throughout the flight as he thought about why he was returning to his hometown and it only seemed to worsen his cough. He coughed up several more petals on the plane ride; Eddie knew he would have to have the surgery again, but he was worried it would be unsuccessful since the hanahaki disease had returned and this time, seemed more violent than the first time. 

Eddie unlocked the front door and opened it. He walked into the doorway, dragging his suitcase with him and was surprised to see Richie sitting on the couch, as if he were waiting for Eddie.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're here!" Richie exclaimed as he stood up and hurried to Eddie. Richie pulled Eddie into a hug and held him tightly. "How was your flight, Eds?"

"It was okay," Eddie replied, clearing his throat slightly.

Richie frowned.

"Are you okay, Eddie? You look a little pale."

"Just think I ate a little too much for lunch," Eddie replied, feeling guilty for lying to Richie. But he knew he didn't want Richie to have to worry about him on top of getting ready for his father's funeral. 

"You wanna go lie down for a bit, Eds? I can bring you dinner after a little while."

"That would be great, Rich," Eddie said with a smile. "I'm gonna go say hi to your Mom and then I'll go rest for a bit."

"Sounds good, Eds. I'll bring your stuff to the room. The others should be here late tomorrow and Dad's funeral is on Sunday. After that we'll be able to spend time with everyone and our families."

Eddie could tell Richie didn't want to talk about losing his father so suddenly and he felt his chest twinge as he sympathized with Richie. That quickly answered the question of who he was in love with: the same person as before. 

* * *

Eddie snapped awake when he heard the door open. He glanced over at the clock on the nightstand and saw about an hour and a half had passed since he had arrived. Though he felt rested, the pain in chest was still evident and he sighed to himself as he sat up. He looked to his left and saw Richie walking into the room, carrying a tray of food.

"Here you go, Eds," Richie said, setting the tray of food onto Eddie's lap. "Mom and I already ate, and she insisted on me bringing you dinner in bed. Doesn't quite have the same ring as breakfast in bed, but what the hell, right?"

"Thank you, Richie," Eddie said with a warm smile. "And make sure to thank your Mom for me, too."

"Oh, I will, Eds. Now, I'm gonna go help put the dishes away, and then Mags and I are gonna watch a movie if you wanna join us."

"I'd love to," Eddie replied. "I'll eat real quick and be out there in just a minute."

"Take your time, Eds. We don't mind waiting for you." 

Richie patted Eddie on the head before he stood up from the bed and walked out of the room. Eddie sighed to himself briefly as he felt his chest heave again. He started to cough and pushed the tray away so he could lean over the bed. He coughed for several moments before he finally hacked up several flower petals. Eddie groaned when he saw the petals; he knew that his condition was getting worse and that it was advancing much faster than it had before. 

Eddie took some breaths to calm himself down before he turned to the tray of food. Though his throat hurt from coughing so violently, he knew that he needed to get some food in his system to try and stay at least semi-healthy while he was in Derry. He made a mental note to plan an appointment to see a hanahaki specialist as soon as he returned to school at the end of the week. 

Eddie quickly ate the food Maggie had prepared and drank some water. He felt a little better having eaten and he thought he'd be okay for the rest of the evening. He walked out of the bedroom, carrying the tray and headed toward the kitchen, where Richie and Maggie were putting away the last of the dishes into the dishwasher.

"Ah, Eddie, perfect timing!" Richie exclaimed when he saw Eddie. He took the tray from Eddie and started putting the plates into the dishwasher.

"How was your dinner, Eddie?" Maggie asked kindly.

"It was delicious as always, Maggie, thank you," Eddie replied.

"You're too kind, dear," Maggie said. "I hope you know how much you mean to me and how much you meant to Went. He loved you like a son, you know."

Eddie nodded, feeling like he was about to cry. Richie provided a distraction by grabbing Eddie's arm quickly and hurrying them both into the living room. Netflix was already pulled up on the TV screen, and Richie hurriedly grabbed the remote to pick a movie for them to watch. They eventually settled on a comedy film about three drag queens who travel across country and get stranded when their car breaks down in small town America. 

Once the movie started, Richie scooted closer to Eddie and pulled a blanket over both of them. Eddie rested his head on Richie's shoulder and Richie lay his head on top of Eddie's head. Eddie felt so warm and cozy curled up next to Richie and almost forgot that he had been battling a cough. It was as if Richie's closeness seemed to act as a shield against the disease; Eddie felt like the pain leave his chest and instead only a faint buzzing was soaring through his chest. Maybe the chemicals in his mind were trying to convince the disease that Eddie's feelings were reciprocated and was attempting to rid his chest of the flowers.

When the movie was over, Eddie had nearly fallen asleep against Richie, who nudged him slightly as the credits rolled. Eddie lifted his head from Richie's shoulder and looked at Richie, yawning slightly.

"You're so cute when you're sleepy, Eds," Richie said with a grin.

"Oh shut up," Eddie replied with no bite. But suddenly he felt his chest heave again and he knew he was about to have another coughing fit. He shot up from the couch and Richie frowned at him. "Sorry, Rich, really gotta pee," he said hurriedly before he hightailed it out of the living room and ran to the bathroom.

Once the door was closed behind him, Eddie started to cough violently. It was the most powerful coughing fit he had ever had; he could actually see stars forming around his vision as he coughed. Eddie hacked for several minutes before finally he managed to cough up an entire flower head. It was sunflower, which was Richie's favorite type of flower. There was a bit of blood attached to the flower, which was shriveled up as if it were dying. Eddie picked up the flower and tossed it in the trashcan, hurriedly throwing some toilet paper over it so that Richie wouldn't see it. Eddie quickly rinsed out his mouth and gargled some water carefully before he looked at himself in the mirror.

The stars were still blinking in his vision and Eddie had to grab on to the sink for support. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked pale. He hadn't looked so sick in all his life. Eddie sighed to himself as he thought about what his options were. He knew that he was entering a more advanced stage of the disease since an entire flower had come up. Luckily, he felt a little better after hacking up the flower, which meant that his body wasn't producing flowers as quickly as it could. 

Once he had stabilized himself, Eddie left the bathroom and crossed the hallway to his old bedroom. He quickly shut the door behind him and pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialing the first number he could think of and waiting as it rang. Luckily, Bev answered the phone quickly.

"Hey Eddie, how are you feeling?" Bev asked.

"Not good, Bev," Eddie whispered so that Richie and Maggie wouldn't hear him. "The disease is progressing much faster this time. I just hacked up a whole flower head, and it was a sunflower, which means that it's definitely Richie."

"Well of course it's Richie," Bev replied impatiently. "It was Richie last time too and if you had just listened to me, perhaps you wouldn't be sick this time."

"Now wait just a minute. You were the one who supported my decision and said it was mine to make."

"Yeah and look where it got you, Eddie!"

Eddie froze as he digested Bev's words. 

"Shit, that's not what I meant, Eddie. I'm sorry. God, how could I say something so shitty?"

"But you're right, Bev. If I had just told him last time, it might have killed me then and then we wouldn't have to worry about me now."

"Eddie, do not fucking talk like that," Bev snapped. "You're not gonna die and everything is gonna be okay."

"Bev, you know how this works: I tell him and he rejects me and then the disease kills me unless I have the surgery again and we all know how well that worked out."

"Eddie, listen to me: Richie is not going to reject you. In fact, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you tell him."

Eddie groaned.

"Trust me, Eddie, everything will be fine. And I'll be with you the whole time if you want me to."

"I think I just need an in-person pep talk," Eddie said. "And then I'll tell him, I promise, though a fat load of good it will do."

"God you and Richie are so pathetic," Bev said and Eddie could practically hear the eyeroll he knew Bev was doing. 

"What do you mean?"

"You'll find out tomorrow," Bev said before she hung up.

"Wait, Bev!" Eddie said, but it was to no avail. Eddie took his phone away from his ear and saw his home screen, meaning Bev had indeed hung up on him. He frowned at his phone before sighing and getting into bed, his mind racing with what Bev had told him. 

* * *

Eddie woke with a start when he heard the door to the bedroom open. He had dozed off some time after lunch due to the lack of sleep from the night before; his mind had been running through all of the possibilities of confessing to Richie. He had passed out after lunch due to exhaustion and still felt tired now that he was awake, though that could be just because he was awakened suddenly.

Bev led Richie into Eddie's room, holding Richie's arm tightly. Richie looked confused about the whole situation and looked to Eddie for an explanation, but Eddie couldn't give him one, at least not right this second. 

"All right, Eddie," Bev said, sounding impatient. "I know you were hoping for a pep talk, but that's not gonna happen. You two are gonna sit here and talk, and Eddie you're gonna tell him everything, okay? I'll be right outside if you need me, but you guys really need to talk this out on your own, all right?"

Bev took a breath after she spoke. Eddie blinked at her with a stunned expression on his face. Bev glared at him for a moment before Eddie quickly nodded.

"Y-y-yes," Eddie sputtered as he shoved the blankets off of him. "Yeah, we really do need to talk, Richie."

"Good," Bev said, turning to leave the room. "I'll leave you two to it."

Bev disappeared through the door and shut it behind her. Richie slowly walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, looking more confused than ever.

"How long have they been here?" Eddie asked, hoping to avoid the topic for as long as possible.

"They just got here literally five minutes ago," Richie explained. "I was greeting the others when Bev grabbed me and said you wanted to talk to me. So, is it true? You wanna talk to me about something?"

Eddie sighed.

"Yeah, there is something I need to say," he said. "Rich, the hanahaki disease is back."

Richie's eyes widened in shock and he scooted closer to Eddie.

"Are you okay, Eddie?" Richie demanded.

"It's worse than last time," Eddie confessed. "I hacked up a whole flower head last night."

"Oh my god, Eddie, why didn't you say anything?"

Eddie sighed again. 

"Because I was afraid of telling who I love. Because I definitely know who it is, Richie, and I knew who it was last time; it's the same person."

"Wait, you knew who you were in love in last time?" Richie asked, his face scrunching up in confusion. 

Eddie nodded.

"Yeah, I pretty much knew who it was right away. And I knew again right away who it is."

"Tell me who it is, Eddie."

"You promise you won't hate me?"

"Eddie, listen to me," Richie said, reaching his hand across and grabbing onto one of Eddie's hands. "I could never hate you, ever. You're my best friend and nothing will ever change that."

Eddie sighed deeply before he replied.

"It's you, Richie," he said. "I fell in love with you on my 14th birthday when you gave me my good luck charm. But I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same way so I had the surgery. And then when I was comforting you about your Dad, I could feel it coming back. I started coughing again and hacked up another flower. And then last night after we were laying on each other during the movie, I got sick afterward and I coughed up a full flower."

Eddie stopped as he felt his chest start to heave again. He let go of Richie's hand and made to get up from the bed before he started coughing again.

"Wait, Eddie," Richie said in a gentle voice. Eddie froze as Richie leaned closer to him. Richie gently grabbed Eddie's cheeks and then closed the gap between them. 

The kiss took Eddie by surprise but he quickly found himself kissing Richie back. It was everything he had ever wanted and everything he would ever need. His heart felt full again and he could feel his chest clearing the flowers out on its own; he was getting cured from the hanahaki disease. But if that were true, that could only mean one thing.

"Wait, Richie," Eddie said, breaking the kiss. "Are you....are you in love with me too?"

"Kinda," Richie said shyly.

"But have you been coughing up flowers?"

Richie shook his head.

"I've been in love with you since we were 12, Eds," Richie said. "And I've never coughed up any flowers, even though I thought it was unrequited. But apparently some people are born immune to hanahaki and I guess I just got lucky and I'm immune to it."

"And you didn't say anything in almost nine years?!" Eddie demanded, though there was no bite in his tone. "You asshole!"

Richie laughed as he pulled Eddie in for another kiss. Eddie could tell right away that he could easily get used to Richie kissing him. It felt natural and it felt like they were always meant to kiss each other. Eddie felt so relieved that Richie loved him back and that he wouldn't get sick at Went's funeral. As if he read Eddie's mind, Richie spoke again.

"I just wish Dad were still here," Richie said. "He and I had a bet going on if you loved me back, and since you do, he owes me $20."

Eddie laughed so much that it hurt slightly. But maybe that was because Richie literally took his breath away.

"I love you, Richie," Eddie said.

"I love you, too, Eddie." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is! Eddie and Richie are in love and Eddie is now cured of his hanahaki disease.
> 
> Sorry for making you all wait two months for an update! I guess I needed some time off from writing before I felt inspired to keep going; guess that's what happens when you churn out story after story for months on end with little break in between.

**Author's Note:**

> I hate/love ending the first chapter like this. Don't worry, there is more to come!
> 
> In chapter two, we'll jump ahead a few years into the future, where something happens and Richie needs emotional support from Eddie, who does in fact have the surgery after this chapter. And when he comforts Richie, let's just say that maybe the surgery isn't as successful as he thought. Stay tuned for more soon!
> 
> As always, you can follow me on Tumblr: [@wackywriterwhowriteswhenever](http://wackywriterwhowriteswhenever.tumblr.com)


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